4 APRIL 



being done, giving infantile directions : "Do this," 

 "Do that," and he doeth it; and waiteth for 

 further orders. I must confess one thing, I am 

 not an early riser. Therefore I can only attend to 

 my garden after breakfast, when the Burra Sahib 

 and the Ancient have departed for the day. 



First though, the little old grey-beard butler 

 keeps me to my duty, by placing before me an 

 alarming array of books, and a pencil. I have to 

 put down so much milk, and ice, and soda water 

 used yesterday; which he recites as if from a 

 lesson ; and to write for " whisky " and " jahm " 

 "E-strawby jahm," he wants for the breakfast. 

 Then there is a "bout" with the cook to go 

 through, and the " billy-fare " to write, which the 

 Burra Sahib likes to have in front of him morning 

 and evening, however small the me'nu, in order 

 to choose out the most vegetarian of the dishes. 

 On the occasion of a party the cook appals 

 me with French, and makes me write, "Potage 

 d la bonne femme ; Cotelettes de bekti au sauce 

 Hollandaise ; Volaille en demi-deuil," etc., but for 

 every day I abbreviate it as much as possible, and 

 when the master sits down to dinner in the bosom 



